26 Years Young

Another year older, another year…wiser? Let’s hope so! It was my 26th birthday this past weekend, and honestly I can’t believe I’m this old. People laugh at that statement – and I know it’s actually not that old – but it’s just crazy to me that I’m no longer in my young 20’s and I’m OVER a quarter century old. I always remember when I was younger I used to think I would for sure have my life completely figured out by 26, but we’ll get to that later.

My past birthday week/weekend was great 🙂 I kicked off my birthday week with a bday brunch with my best girls in the city. My best friend was going to be out of town on my actual birthday, so that’s why the celebrations started so early. She took a redeye flight to make it to my brunch, how sweet is that? We went to Bagatelle – which is a brunch spot that turns into a daytime dance party. It was like nothing I’ve been to before! And if you follow me on Snapchat, you were able to see what a crazy cool time it was 🙂 My friends also got me a coconut cake (yum, my fave!). On my actual birthday, I kept it pretty chill during the day: I wanted to pamper myself so I went and got a haircut (that’s another story…I officially have short hair now *rolls eyes* why do hairdressers never get the length right that you tell them to?). I went out at night to a rooftop bar in this sparkling black dress (so flattering and such a good price, y’all!), popped some champagne and danced the night away. Overall, I would deem everything a success 🙂

Back to the topic of thinking I would have my whole life figured out by age 26. So do I have my life figured out? Nope, not at all. As a teenager, I assumed I would be married and probably pregnant at this age. I thought I’d be living a simple life in Texas with a steady job that I would have worked at for multiple years. And now, I couldn’t laugh harder at those statements. And it’s not a bad thing – it’s just that my life is completely different than I used to imagine. And the thing is…I LOVE where my life is at now and I wouldn’t change a single thing that has happened to get where I am today. I’m the strongest believer that everything happens for a reason. I fully trust in the life choices I’ve made so far and in God’s plan for me.

For this post, I’m focusing on the biggest areas of life and reflecting on where I’m at 26 years into them. I know I know, I’ve been getting so personal on the blog lately. Do y’all dig it or no? 😉

Family – As I’ve gotten older, I feel like now I fully understand how lucky I am to have such a great family. Sounds so cliche, but as you get older you really mature and realize so much was given to you that you may have taken for granted growing up. My parents have always been my strongest supporters and backbone. I know I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without them. In high school, my parents never missed a dance performance or awards ceremony of mine. In college, my parents motivated me miles away to pursue my goals. After college, my parents supported my decision to move away from Texas and across the country (twice!) and showed me constant love/support. I appreciate every time I get to spend with them, especially since I live in a city a bazillion miles away (Facetime is a life saver!). I love the relationship I have with them – I can be fully open with them; they are my best friends! My older sister…so she basically has an opposite life than me – married with two kids, living in a house in Texas. She’s one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, and honestly I don’t think she knows how much I look up to her! I miss the times when we lived in the same city, but I actually think we grew closer after we moved away. Bragging time for her – she managed to become one of the youngest doctors (and excellent one at that!), while having 2 kids DURING residency. And now I’m SO blessed and thankful to literally have the cutest AND sweetest niece and nephew I could ever imagine! They make my heart so happy.

Friendships – As you grow older, you realize which friends are life-rs and which ones are probably fleeting. Now I’ll have to admit, I’m kinda bad at keeping up with people because of my busyness. But if I DO keep up with you, you should feel special 🙂 I’m thankful that I have the kind of best friends that you don’t have to talk every single day, but when you do – you pick up right where you left off and nothing has changed! A lot of my besties don’t live in NYC unfortunately, so it’s all about keeping up! We all have busy lives, but it’s so nice to take allocate time to catch up with besties and get life updates. I have besties varying from high school, college, and post college that I’m so thankful for! #nonewfriends 🙂

Love – My parents AND my sister married their college relationships, so of course I’ve always dreamed that I would be marrying my college sweetheart too! This obviously didn’t happen, but for all the right reasons. And I know that this is probably the juiciest category for readers, but I won’t share too much as I wouldn’t want to put my exes on blast 😉 I will say that I’ve learned so much from my relationships. I’m grateful for every relationship that I’ve had and thankful for all the good memories, as each one has taught me a *different* lesson that has helped me understand what I can/can’t tolerate and what I need in a life partner: respect, appreciation, affection, honesty, maturity. I’ve been heartbroken a lot, but I don’t regret anything or anyone and believe that all failed relationships are meant to bring you closer to the right one 🙂 I’m a hopeless romantic and no matter what will never give up on LOVE <3 Also, I will never settle for less than I think I deserve – no one should! I’m happy where I’m at right now…TBD for the next love life update! 😉

Career – Continuous growth and success in my career is a huge importance to me. I’m so grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had, to work at some of the most well known companies. I’ve now worked at 4 companies post grad, and am thankful for the experiences from each one. I have had some of the best mentors and managers that I was able to learn so much from. I still can’t believe I’m working in New York! I never imagined that it would be possible to get a job in NYC – to work in a city full of opportunities in my industry, with such a strong focus on career growth. It’s AMAZING!

I’ll wrap up by saying that my life is not by any means perfect, but I can honestly say that I am truly happy and content where it’s at at age 26. The older I get, the more I realize how much I have to learn and how many more experiences I have to look forward to in life. The older I get, the more I appreciate everything I have (or had!). The older I get, the more I am determined to reach for more and better myself to become the best I can be. I’m so excited for this year to unfold and hope it’s the best one yet!